Hot Topics:

R. Eggers: A liberal delusion on the minimum wage

Posted:
08/02/2017 07:10:10 PM MDT

Warning: Joe Stepan (Louisville) in a recent Camera letter suggested I share some traits of a serial killer. So read on at your own risk. The problem with liberal largess (spending others' money) is that the negative consequences are rarely considered, often defeating the purpose of the goals. Case in point: Seattle's minimum wage increases. Seattle boosted the minimum wage from $9.47 in 2014 to $13 in 2016 on its way to $15. University of Washington economists found that beneficiaries actually saw their incomes fall by $125 a month. This because employers cut their hours and were forced to increase automation when labor costs (minimum wage and mandated benefits) prevented businesses from attaining survivable profits. Fifteen restaurants closed, hundreds or more unemployed.) These are businesses, not charities, and reflect facts of survival, not greed. When the price of something goes up, there is less demand for it — in this case, employment. This immutable law of economics some find inconvenient, but it's "reality." What liberals don't seem to understand is that low-paying jobs fill a need — either jobs for entry level inexperienced young people just starting out, or as a second income for older families. Everyone needs to start somewhere.

Advertisement

Also some only want a job that isn't too demanding or won't require too many hours. If such people could command $15 an hour by virtue of their skills or commitment level, they would be earning $15 an hour or more elsewhere. If liberal politicians were truly compassionate, they'd endorse a two-tier minimum wage structure, reflecting that some people need low-paying jobs rather than none at all. As George Orwell said, "To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle."

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story